The 8-0 Falcons are like the CBS sitcom "Big Bang Theory." It's hugely successful. You understand why that is. Still, you'd never rank it above other shows that, while less successful, just seem to have more to them.

If the Falcons believed they could use the Sunday night stage to earn the respect they crave, they're going to be disappointed. Their 19-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys was professional and workmanlike, the type of game that good teams grind out for a positive result.

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Not particularly. Short of a 16-0 run, the Falcons aren't going to be respected until they start winning some games in January. Matt Ryan-led teams have come up snake eyes in three postseason runs. The result is a stigma: The Falcons are good ... until it really counts.

That said, we should try not to discount what the Falcons have done through nine weeks. With the season at its halfway point, they've put themselves in great position to line up a playoff run on their terms. After all, they can go .500 the rest of the way and still conceivably get the NFC's No. 1 seed. That means no trips to Lambeau, or San Francisco, or New Jersey.

Call the Falcons boring if you wish. But they have the record that every other team wants. They're doing something right.